Monday, January 19, 2015

Upcoming: Convergence: Justice Society of America

The Convergence hits just keep on coming from DC Comics, as we have one more Convergence miniseries which features Hawkman.  And it's no surprise to this blogger that the final series is Convergence: Justice Society of America.  Take it away, Newsarama:

CONVERGENCE: JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #1
Written by DAN ABNETT
Art by TOM DERENICK and TREVOR SCOTT
Cover by DAN PANOSIAN
Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD
On sale APRIL 29 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 2, $3.99 US • RATED T
STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Older and in full retirement under the dome, members of the Justice Society get the chance to regain their youth to stave off forces from the Qward Universe. But the promise of youth comes with a deadly price!

As with all of these Convergence books, this sounds like a fun romp, especially with Dan Abnett at the helm.  Tom Derenick has a smooth style which should translate nicely with the bold, old fashioned uniforms of the JSA, especially with Scott's embellishment.  I even like the cover, wherein Dan Panosian has tapped a sort of Howard Chaykin vibe.  Flash, GL, Dr. Fate, and Hawkman all sport a sort of "real world fantastic" aesthetic which is a good fit for the original mystery men.  The Chip Kidd variant features Jay Garrick.

Convergence is shaping up to be a fairly decent investment for me, but with all these books being only two-parters, I can afford to indulge a little bit -- especially when we are getting so many old favorites back.  What about you -- will Convergence: Justice Society of America make it into your pull box?

Image: Convergence: Justice Society of America #1, 2015, Dan Panosian.  

Friday, January 16, 2015

Convergence: Hawkman #1 Variant Cover by Chip Kidd Revealed

Well, that didn't take long.  Newsarama has the Chip Kidd variant covers for the Convergence miniseries, including Convergence: Hawkman #1.

Each week of minis has their own "fade out" color, to help differentiate them week to week.  Which makes sense as each week stars heroes from a certain era.  Hawkman and the other COIE era characters get yellow, which at least fits in the color palette for the Winged Wonders.  The fade out effect really makes me think of Zero Hour, which might be the point considering that Convergence is about the mashing up of time and space, yes?

Now, as far as the cover image of Hawkman, I did some research work, but I was unable to identify where the image comes from.  I am assuming it is a cover, but it might not be, so that alone makes it tough for me.  It LOOKS like Richard Howell to me from the hook of the nose on the helmet and the amount of lines on the helmet.  But I compared it to the covers to Shadow War of Hawkman as well as the covers to Volume 2 and couldn't find a match.  Hopefully someone better at this sort of thing than me can help me out.

The variant cover is neat, and I like that it calls back to the history of DC, as is appropriate for the event.  That said, I think I will stick to the Albuquerque cover which was revealed yesterday.  Still, this is a nice variant cover, and I am digging what DC is doing here.  

What do you folks think?  Will you go with the variant cover, or stick with the regular version?

Image: Convergence: Hawkman #1 variant cover, 2015, Chip Kidd.    

New Poll On Being Carter Hall: Buying Convergence: Hawkman?

I've posted a new poll here Being Carter Hall, and this time we are asking about the upcoming Convergence event; specifically, Convergence: Hawkman.

Will you be buying the Winged Wonders' miniseries?  How about the main Convergence miniseries?  Or are you going to pass on them?  Click through and vote!

To get the ball rolling, I'll say that I am definitely buying the Convergence: Hawkman mini, and am strongly leaning towards buying the main series as well.  I am curious as to what you other Hawkfans out there think!

Thursday, January 15, 2015

Convergence: Hawkman #1 Cover Revealed

Well, after the Flashpoint Hawks revelation in yesterday's post, we get more Hawkman and Hawkwoman in Convergence today, as the cover to Convergence: Hawkman #1 is revealed!  From Newsarama:

CONVERGENCE: HAWKMAN #1
Written by JEFF PARKER
Art by TIM TRUMAN and ENRIQUE ALCATENA
Cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD
On sale APRIL 22 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 2, $3.99 US • RATED T
STARRING HEROES FROM CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS! Hawkman and Hawkgirl put their Shadow War on hold as they face the might of anthropomorphic rat-men and bat-men in the deadly land of Kamandi!

Alright: The Albuquerque cover is fantastic!  Our Pinnioned Powerhouses look resplendant in their Pre-Crisis glory, with Hawkman looking every bit the warrior from another planet, and Hawkwoman (they call her "Hawkgirl," but if this is Shadow War era, Shay is Hawkwoman by this point) looking suitably sleek and powerful.  I especially like the glare in Katar's eyes and the contrast of Shayera's mask hiding her expression.  The "Gotham City" sign coupled with the solicit suggests to me that this will take place in the ruined remains of the city, but who knows?

The Variant cover is "designed" by Chip Kidd; appropriate, as Kidd is best known as a graphic designer more than "artist" in the traditional comics sense.  I will reserve judgement until I see it, but fair warning, it's going to have to be pretty spectacular to beat that Albuquerque cover.

The rest of the solicit is the same as was previously released, but I am no less excited for it.  

As more of these solicits are revealed, I am getting more and more excited for Convergence.  Looks like DC readers should be in for a treat of a throwdown.

Image: Convergence: Hawkman #1, 2015, Rafael Albuquerque.  

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Upcoming: Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle #1

DC has begun the marketing push for their upcoming Convergence event, starting with the first round of solicitations for the 40 two-part series.  One of these is Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle, which features the Flashpoint versions of Hawkman and Hawkgirl!  Take it away, Newsarama:

CONVERGENCE: NIGHTWING/ORACLE #1
Written by GAIL SIMONE
Art by JAN DUURSEMA and DAN PARSONS
Cover by JILL THOMPSON
Variant cover designed by CHIP KIDD
On sale APRIL 8 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 2, $3.99 US • RATED T
STARRING HEROES FROM THE PRE-FLASHPOINT DCU! Just as they've finally been reunited, the romance between Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon is sentenced to execution by Flashpoint Hawkman and Hawkwoman!

Some thoughts:

--Gail Simone writing Hawkman?  And Gail Simone placing said Hawkman against Nightwing and Oracle?  I don't predict this working out well for the Winged Wonder.  

--On the other hand, Jan Duursema drawing the Hawks is a welcome surprise!  I have been working my way through Hawkman Volume 3, and in the early days of that series (and the latter days of Hawkworld), her work was almost always a treat.  So it should be good to see her handle them once again.

--I don't remember the Hawks playing much of a role in Flashpoint; but to be fair, I didn't read Flashpoint so maybe I just missed it.  The Jill Thompson cover really works the "Conan with wings" vibe, which I am cool with.  The offset emblem on the chest harness is a nice asymmetrical touch as well.  

I am going to be picking and choosing which Convergence books I get, but if you put the Hawks front and center, I am going to be pretty severely tempted.  I normally would not buy a Bat-book written by Simone, but I think my curiosity has been piqued enough to check this one out.  What do you folks think, will you be checking this miniseries out?

Image: Convergence: Nightwing/Oracle #1, 2015, Jill Thompson.